95% Maintenance

Today I've swept the kitchen floor seven times
The dust and crumbs just reappear
Each time I leave the room

White cat hairs float through freshened air
And land on newly vacuumed carpet
The furniture needs another polish

Outside the window, he's mowing the lawn again
The grass grows so quickly

Every night I watch him water the pansies
Every day they're dry again

I remember a phrase I heard on a TV show
'Life is 95% maintenance'
I think about all the dusting and cleaning
and cutting and preening

I remember those words again
as I step into my nightly bath
my wet skin still smelling of perfume
I wash it off so I can put it back on
tomorrow
and the day after
and the day after

I turn back the bed that I made this morning
That I'll make again when I wake

I lay as I do every night
With my cat near my feet
And my boyfriend beside me
As my eyes close I think about my repetitive little life
The perpetual routine of responsibility

He hugs me
We kiss
Then we echo each other
'Good Night'… 'Sweet Dreams'… 'I love You'…
'See You Tomorrow'…

I smile in the dark